


LucasLand

by SageMcMae



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Armitage Hux is a Jerk, Austenland AU if you squint, Ben Solo is Darth Darcy, Chewie has a crush on Maz, Demisexual Ben, Engineer Rey, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Happy Ending, Jealous Ben, Luke is not amused, Professor Ben Solo, Rey is all of us, Romcom elements, Thirsty AF for Kylo Ren, awkward first meetings, bridal carry, getting caught in the rain, goofing off
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-12
Updated: 2019-03-12
Packaged: 2019-10-25 23:04:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17734349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SageMcMae/pseuds/SageMcMae
Summary: “My mother mentioned you're a fan of Kylo Ren,” Ben remarked. “Why is that?”Rey almost tripped over her own feet. “Oh, um, well he’s my fantasy,” she replied quickly.“Your fantasy?” Ben questioned, arching a brow.“I mean,” she shrugged, feigning indifference, “he’s a dark knight. The ultimate bad boy. He’s every girl’s fantasy.”He bent down so close that his forehead was nearly touching hers. “You know Luke based Kylo Ren on me, right?”“Yes,” she breathed.“Does that mean I’m your fantasy, Rey?”Rey accepts a job at Skywalker Ranch to track down the elusive author, Luke Skywalker and discuss plans for his next installment of theBlue Harvestsaga. While there, she meets Ben Solo, Luke's nephew and the real life inspiration for her favorite character. But where does fantasy end and reality begin?





	1. The Falcon, the Princess and the Scoundrel

 

_He stood before her, bare from the waist up, all hard planes and sharp angles. Her heart was beating frantically as she slowly raised her eyes up his chiseled form._

 

_His hair was damp, as if he’d just stepped out of the shower and his normally pale skin was flushed. He raised his chocolate orbs to meet her lust filled gaze._

 

_“Rey.”_

 

_She breathed his name like a promise. “Kylo.”_

 

_He extended one large hand. “Join me. Please.”_

 

Rey sighed, her mind elsewhere as she drew a pencil across her sketch pad. Within eighteen months, she knew the First Order’s specs off by heart. She probably could have drafted this entire prototype in her sleep. As it was, she was stuck in her dull gray cubicle, hunched over an equally dull desk, creating yet another cookie-cutter engine design. 

 

“Psst! Psst!” She glanced up to see Finn, her only friend in the office leaning over their shared wall. “Hey, Rey. Incoming.”

 

That was all the warning she received before Armitage Hux sauntered up to her.

 

“Morning Ms. Niima,” he greeted her in his normal nasally voice. She resisted the urge to cringe. “Any plans for this weekend?” 

 

“Not really,” Rey replied, putting her full attention on the paper in front of her.

 

“Ah, then perhaps you’d let me take you out to dinner this evening?” Hux continued.

 

Rey broke the lead point on her pencil, she was pressing down _that_ hard. “Mr. Hux —.”

 

“Armitage, please,” he grinned. She felt her stomach roll, as she forced herself to look up at him. 

 

“I don’t think it would be wise to pursue anything outside of our professional relationship,” Rey informed him. “After all, you are my supervisor and —.”

 

“Not to worry.” Hux cut her off with a wave of his hand. Arrogant bastard. “As your supervisor, I already took the liberty of discussing my intentions with Mr. Snoke and HR. As long as I feel this won’t impact your work, I have been given clearance to pursue you.”

 

Rey didn’t miss how smug he appeared or his use of the word ‘I’. Per usual, Hux had assumed full control over the situation. Her eyes flickered around her cubicle, vainly searching for some way out, some escape she could use against his constant attention. 

 

Then she saw it.

 

The email she’d printed out two months ago. The offer she told herself she’d never act on, because it was risky and impulsive and Rey needed stable and secure. But in that instant, with her boss leering at her and Finn panicking off to the side, Rey ripped the email off her cube wall. 

 

“Excuse me.” She gave him a curt nod and shoved past him.

 

“Rey?” Hux called after her.

 

She didn’t look back. 

* * *

 

“So you’re really doing this, huh?” Rose asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

 

Rey and her best friend since kindergarten, Rose Tico, were in her apartment. As Rey prepared to leave her cramped home, her friend was trying to convince her otherwise. It wasn’t that the apartment was bad, per se, even if it was in a shady neighborhood. The main factor was that the unit was affordable and after Rey had paid off all her student loans, affordable was at the top of her list.

 

Rose watched as Rey packed the large duffel bag she had found at the Salvation Army. When Rey didn’t respond to her question, intent to ignore her friend’s skeptical body language, Rose continued.

 

“I can’t believe you walked out on the First Order. I know Hux was a leech, but they paid well. You had health benefits and a 401k! Can Leia give you that?”

 

She didn’t answer, which confirmed her friend’s suspicions. Rose shot her a pointed look. 

 

“At least Leia won’t grope my ass,” Rey fired back. 

 

“Maybe Paige can get you a job at Cobalt Hammer?” Rose suggested.

 

Rey shook her head as she continued to pack. Cobalt Hammer wanted someone with experience — at least five years — and Rey couldn’t get that without working at the First Order. But Rey also couldn’t stomach the idea of working another minute with Hux. In the end, the offer from her mentor turned into a life-changing alternative.

 

The fact that Leia Organa-Solo had personally invited Rey to her home, made Rey feel less depressed about the fact she’d essentially quit her job and ended her lease all within the span of a single day. Rose, however, did not share her sentiments.

 

While Leia was well-known, it was her twin brother who was considered the famous one in the family. Luke Skywalker had written a trilogy of sci-fi novels, starting back in the late seventies. After a couple of decades, he wrote another trilogy, building his fantasy world out further and a few years back, he’d begun his final trilogy in the saga.

 

Rey had read the original three novels as a child. They were a tattered mess of pages, but they provided her an escape from her foster home. When Plutt yelled about the fact the state didn’t pay him enough to feed her, Rey transported herself to a galaxy far, far away. On nights when Plutt came home a drunk, slobbering mess, Rey hid in the coat closet, nestled up with her books, pretending she was aboard the Millennium Falcon, shooting off across the stars. Those books had given her hope.

 

As she grew older and aged out of the system, Rey took the novels with her. She managed to earn enough waitressing in college to buy the prequel trilogy, which she eagerly devoured. The new planets and cast of characters kept her grounded while she worked her way through Advanced Calculus and Chemistry. But it wasn’t until the new trilogy that her love of the saga became borderline obsessive.

 

When _Starkiller,_ the seventh novel in the _Blue Harvest_ series was released, she’d been at the front of the line, eagerly awaiting the long anticipated sequel. She’d camped out in front of Barnes and Nobles for two days in order to grab her preordered copy. She’d spent the rest of the day holed up in her apartment, devouring each page and falling in love. 

 

Mr. Skywalker’s seventh installation was similar to his first in some ways, which earned him some backlash from critics. Rey, however, found beauty in the parallels he’d drawn. The characters he introduced were all relatable in some way, though none captivated her the way Kylo Ren did.

 

That had been three years ago and since that day, her entire world had revolved around Kylo Ren. Dark, brooding and classically handsome, he was the stuff made of dreams. Or her dreams, at least. 

 

Rose thought she was crazy for idolizing the character, but Rose didn’t fully understand Rey’s fascination with _Blue Harvest_ . To be fair, no one understood the hold the fictional villain had over Rey. She didn’t quite understand it herself. 

 

It wasn’t until Rey reread _Starkiller_ that she understood why she felt bonded to the man. Like her, he was lonely. Underneath his steel mask, beneath his obsidian cowl, was the heart of a broken man. He was born to a family who abandoned him, cast him out and left him to his own devices. Much like her, he’d forged his own path, and while it was misguided, he’d survived. Just like she had. 

 

Rey spent countless hours scouring through online forums, writing fanfiction and even attending Comic Con events, all in a desperate search to be closer to Kylo. He may have been fictional, but to Rey, such a perfect match couldn’t have felt more real. 

 

It was like he’d been written for her, the other half of her soul. 

 

In homage to him, she had redecorated her apartment, purchasing handmade _Blue Harvest_ pillows, bedding and even kitchenware. Rose’s mocking turned into concern and then into a request for Rey to start dating. 

 

“You need to be with people, real people” her best friend argued. “You need to live in the real world, not one made up with spaceships and aliens.”

 

Rey didn’t listen. 

 

So what if Rose and Finn were her only friends? So what if they were married and convinced she needed to be the same? Not everyone found love at the local coffeeshop. 

 

“Rey? Rey, are you listening to me?” Rose placed a hand on her wrist, stopping her from throwing her _Blue Harvest_ jacket into her suitcase.

 

“What?”

 

“How much is Leia going to pay you? How are you going to take care of your bills? What will you do for a job in the fall?”

 

Rey shrugged. She didn’t care what Leia was paying her. The invitation had been calling to Rey like a siren song since she received it. She had only needed an excuse to go. Now, she had one. 

 

When Rey reached out to Leia, to take her up in her offer to visit Skywalker Ranch, the older woman had immediately called. As it turned out, her husband was scheduled to go in for heart surgery and they needed a mechanic. She asked if Rey would be interested in a temporary position for the summer. 

 

Before Leia could finish, Rey had agreed. By this time tomorrow, she’d been in California. She was leaving her apartment and former job behind to start fresh. 

 

But that wasn’t what excited Rey the most about her upcoming trip. 

 

The best part of Leia’s offer was who else lived at the ranch. Luke Skywalker. The author of the _Blue Harvest_ series lived year round at Skywalker Ranch.

 

Mr. Skywalker was a hermit, rarely coming out of hiding between novels, and quite the recluse. Despite his reputation, Rey was prepared to wear him down. She had to know how Kylo’s story ended.

 

She’d packed a couple of copies of his books, as well as the prototype weapon she’d drawn up. Rey hadn’t decided who the weapon was for, perhaps a new character in the next installment of the sequel series? She was hoping Mr. Skywalker would use it in some capacity. 

 

With a wide grin, she replied to Rose’s earlier question. 

 

“I have everything I need.”

* * *

 

The cross-country plane ride was the perfect amount of time to dive deeper into the _Blue Harvest_ universe. Rey scanned through metas, scribbled out talking points and highlighted important passages in her copy of _Starkiller_ . 

 

When her flight landed in California, Rey had worked up a full page of topics she wanted to discuss with the illustrious author. She could hardly wait to sit down with Mr. Skywalker. She had so many questions.

 

She hurried through the airport, elbowing past other travelers to get to the Arrivals pick-up area. Leia told her Charles Bacca would be picking her up. Her mentor had also told Rey to call him Chewie.

 

“Chewie?” 

 

“It’s a nickname,” Leia had explained. “Only strangers call him Charles and you aren’t a stranger, Rey.”

 

She had wanted to argue that yes, in fact, she was, because she’d never met Chewie before, but seeing as Leia was granting her unlimited access to her idol, Rey kept her comments to herself. 

 

When she stepped out onto the sidewalk, though, Rey came face to face with a bear of a man, sporting a beard thick enough to make Santa jealous. 

 

“Rey Niima?” a gruff love voice emanated from the towering giant. 

 

“Y-Yes?”

 

The burly man closed the distance between them and scooped her up in a tight hug. “Happy to have you on board, kiddo!” 

 

“Happy to be here,” Rey wheezed, realizing her feet were no longer touching the ground. 

 

“Leia’s told us all about you,” Chewie continued, as he set her back down. “Engineering degree, huh? There’s not many women in that field.”

 

“Oh.” Rey blushed, as he took her bag from her. “Thank you.” Chewie began to lead her to a beat up silver Ford truck. “Mechanical engineering,” she clarified. “And yes, I was one of only three in my class.”

 

“Pretty impressive,” Chewie remarked. “This is the Falcon.” He gestured to the truck, before opening the passenger side door for her. 

 

Rey paused. “As in...Millenium Falcon?” 

 

Chewie barked out a laugh. “Yeah,” he chuckled, shaking his head. “Farm boy isn’t as clever as he thinks he is.”

 

She furrowed her brow. “Farm boy?”

 

“Luke,” Chewie explained. “Of course, when I met him, he was just a poor kid from a farm in Tatooine. Now he’s a household name. Boy became a legend.”

 

Rey nibbled on her bottom lip. In all her research, she had never delved into Mr. Skywalker’s childhood. Tatooine wasn’t well known. It was just a small desert town in Arizona, not that far off from her own hometown of Jakku. At least they had _something_ in common. 

 

Chewie tossed her duffle in the bed of the truck and they climbed into the Falcon. While Chewie pulled away from the curb, Rey envisioned taking off into lightspeed. The palm trees and cement constructs of the city fell away in her mind’s eye, replaced by star systems and the inky black of space. 

* * *

 

By the time they reached Skywalker Ranch, Chewie had given Rey a rundown of the property and what to expect while working for Leia. 

 

“She’s tough, but fair,” Chewie informed her. “Han calls her Princess, but no one else can get away with that nickname, so don’t even try it. One of the ranch hands tried it one summer. Now he’s stuck working at the local McDonald’s.”

 

Rey balked and Chewie let out a hearty laugh. “Just kidding, kid.” Then his face grew solemn as he continued, “but seriously, don’t call her Princess.”

 

“Noted,” Rey replied.

 

He brought the truck to a halt outside the main gate. Rey peered around, trying to make out the house, but all she could see was sweeping hills of grass and thick tree coverage. 

 

“They like their privacy,” Chewie explained, rolling down his window to input the entry code. 

 

Before Leia had been an advisor at Takodana University, she had been a Senator. Rey never asked her about the sudden career change, but she supposed it was exhausting to be under scrutiny all the time. 

 

Either way, having a former Senator turned out to be a benefit for Rey. Leia was one of the few females in government, so her outlook on career advancement had been better aligned to Rey’s needs, than Mr. Ackbar, who had been Rey’s advisor during freshman year. 

 

Leia had a bulldog attitude, which Rey loved. The petite woman rarely took no for an answer and demanded respect from the second she entered a room. Rey aspired to be more like her. 

 

“Dinner is served in the main house each evening at seven,” Chewie told her, as the gates opened. 

 

He guided the Falcon up the drive. Rey practically pressed her face into the glass, trying to get her first glimpse of the compound. 

 

“Breakfast and lunch are on your own, but Maz is always cooking something, so you won’t go hungry. Not on her watch,” he chuckled. 

 

Rey smiled over her shoulder at him. For as intimidating as he was at first glance, Chewie was basically an oversized teddy bear. One who was blushing.

 

“Who’s Maz?”

 

“The household chef,” he replied quickly. Almost as if he was trying to cover something up. 

 

Rey grinned. “Is she pretty?”

 

“What?” His gaze flickered off the road to Rey’s face.

 

“Maz. Is she pretty?”

 

“Yes— I mean, I guess. I wouldn’t know. She’s just... just...” his voice trailed off.

 

“It’s ok, big guy.” Rey patted his arm. She pretended to zip her lips shut. “Your secret’s safe with me.”

 

They didn’t speak the rest of the ride up, but Chewie’s cheeks remained red under the coverage of his beard. 

 

The Falcon lurched to a stop and Rey got an up close view of the main house. 

 

It was a renovated ranch house, obviously expanded and modernized, but still with hints of its original design. The natural colors and use of wood gave it a welcoming feel. As she hopped out of the truck, she fell in love with the place. 

 

“Rey!”

 

She turned to see Leia rushing through the front door. Then she was enveloped in her second hug of the day. Honestly, she’d been hugged more in the span of a couple hours than her entire life.

 

“Oh, dear, I’m so glad you’re here!” Leia cried into her hair. As she pulled back, she shouted into the house, “Han! Get out here!”

 

“I’m coming, Princess,” an annoyed voice answered. 

 

Rey gasped when she saw Leia’s husband appear. He was a dead-ringer for The Scoundrel, one of the original trilogies main characters. The man draped an arm over Leia’s shoulders, taking Rey in and she put it all together. 

 

“It’s all true,” she whispered. “The Force, the Jedi...all of it.”

 

“Well,” Han chuckled, running a hand through his hair, “I wouldn’t say all of it, but Luke certainly took several liberties when describing the good ol’ days.”

 

Leia rolled her eyes and snorted. “Don’t get me started on my brother,” she muttered annoyed. Then, shaking it off, she smiled. “Let’s get you settled in, alright? I’m sure you’re hungry from your long trip.”

 

“That would be great,” Rey agreed.

 

As Rey was escorted inside, she failed to notice the arrival of a second guest in a black Maserati.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmmmmmm... I wonder who _that_ is? 


	2. The Chef, the Son, and the Pilot

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't going to post again this week, but your support for this has just been amazing! Thank you everyone so much! The response to the first chapter was touching and I'm so glad to see so many fans of 'Austenland' in the Reylo fandom. 
> 
> Continued thanks to [LoveofEscapism](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LoveofEscapism/pseuds/LoveofEscapism/works) for beta-ing this work. Your suggestions are so helpful and make this story better!

 

Rey was getting happily acquainted with the property. 

 

The main house was right off the driveway. It was decorated like something out of one of those interior design catalogs one read at the doctor’s office. Each detail was carefully curated to the proper aesthetic. Of course, Rey’s favorite room was the kitchen.

 

Maz was not what she was expecting, but when the woman had served up her famous chili, Rey forgot all about her expectations and focused on her satisfied belly. The gigantic portion convinced her that she and Maz were going to be great friends.

 

“There’s more where that comes from, kiddo,” the tiny woman with the thick lenses told her proudly.

 

Leia, Han, Maz and Chewie all spoke openly, discussing Han’s upcoming surgery as though it was normal and Rey couldn’t help but feel instantly at ease with them. Even it was temporary, this place felt _right_.

 

Once she finished eating, she strolled around. Out back was a huge porch, overlooking the forest and a trail to the barn, which Han had turned into a hangar for his plane. Like the house, it had been renovated and expanded. It included a loft apartment, which she would be living in for the summer. 

 

As much as she loved the main house, Rey was glad to have a space of her own. Being closer to her work, meant she could start early and finish early, giving her more time to track down the elusive Mr. Skywalker. 

She opened the side door, entering the hangar. Han’s plane sat in the middle of the barn, polished and pristine. There was an old golf cart behind it, which looked like it could use some work, and a lawn mower, the type landscapers used. 

 

A flight of stairs was located across the barn. Rey assumed they led up to the apartment. Curious to see where she’d be spending her next three months, she hurried up.

 

The apartment was completely furnished, outfitted with wide windows overlooking the property. She smiled, tapping her fingers along the glass as she scanned the sea of grass. An endless palette of green stretched before her, just as refreshing as it was beautiful. 

 

There was a small kitchenette and sitting area, though Rey doubted she’d use it, not when she could enjoy Maz’s cooking. A bed sat up against the far wall, near a door leading into a modest bathroom with a shower. Despite the set-up, Leia had invited Rey to come up to the main house to use whatever she needed. 

 

Other than meals, Rey wasn’t’ sure what she could possibly need. Everything here was small, quaint and perfect. 

 

She dropped her duffle by the door, shutting it to give her some privacy. After spending hours traveling, the one thing she wanted more than another bowl of Maz’s chili was a hot shower. 

 

Rey retrieved a fresh change of clothes and took them into the bathroom. While she waited for the water to warm up, she stripped down. 

 

That was when she heard someone yelling from down in the hangar. 

 

“Are you really going to hide from me?”

 

Rey froze, yanking a towel from the rack and hastily wrapping it around her body. Who was _that_? 

 

The voice was decidedly male and much too young to be Mr. Skywalker. Before she could think of a response, she heard footsteps on the stairs. Scared, she raced out of the bathroom to grab her phone. No one would murder her if she was FaceTiming with Rose, right? 

 

Just as she snatched it up, the door burst open and a man stormed in.

 

For a moment Rey felt like she was experiencing mental whiplash. Before her stood Kylo Ren, a tall drink of water with pale skin, gorgeous hair and the characteristics of a Roman god. He was stunning. 

 

Then he spoke and the irresistible fantasy shattered. 

 

“Who the hell are you?”

 

“Who the hell am _I_?” Rey snarled. “Who the hell are _you_?”

 

“You’re not my father!”

 

“Excuse me?” she sputtered.

 

“My mother called last week and ordered me to come home because of my father. I thought...he usually hides out here.”

 

“Well, clearly I’m not him.” Rey held tight onto her towel. “If I was, I would have taught you how to knock before barging into a room.”

 

He raised a brow at her, before he took note of how she was dressed. Or undressed, as it were. He blushed all the way to his ears, which were poking out of his raven black hair. Yet, he didn’t budge. He appeared to be frozen in his spot.

 

“Do you mind?” Rey shooed him. 

 

“Right, right,” he stammered, stumbling backwards. 

 

“Watch out!”

 

Her warning came too late. In his haste, he tripped over her duffle and landed with a crash against the door frame. 

 

“Goddamnit!” he shouted, angrily. 

 

“I tried to tell you,” she offered.

 

“What are you even doing here?” he groused, brushing himself off as he stood. 

 

“Not that it’s any of your business, but Leia hired me for the summer,” Rey answered agitatedly. 

 

“Leia,” he scoffed. “Typical. And what did she hire you for?”

 

Rey narrowed her eyes at him. Oh no, this sullen man-child wasn’t going to rain on her parade and he certainly wasn’t going to insult her benefactor.

 

“That’s between her and I. Get out.”

 

His eyes hardened, the blush gone. Apparently he didn’t like being commanded. Too bad. She didn’t like having a conversation with a total stranger while in a towel, but here they were.

 

“Listen, sweetheart,” he spoke and stepped closer to her to lean in, “just because you’re her current pet project, doesn’t mean you get to boss me around. You’re nothing more than her flavor of the week.”

 

“Just because you have the ego the size of Texas doesn’t mean you know anything,” she  glowered at him. “Now, I’m only going to say this one more time. Get —.”

 

“Ben!”

 

The man looming over her, straightened up at Han’s voice. “Hey kid, are you in here?”

 

“Upstairs,” the man — _Ben_ — shouted over his shoulder and through Rey’s still open door. 

 

“Oh, did you meet Rey?” Han called up.

 

“We were just getting acquainted,” Ben responded, turning back to face her with a smirk. 

 

“Well get down here,” Han ordered. “I haven’t seen you since you took that big important job.”

 

“See you at dinner, Rey.”

 

He gave her a mischievous wink as he closed the door behind him. 

 

It took Rey far longer than she cared to admit to get her heart rate back to normal. 

 

* * *

 

At seven o’clock, Rey stood outside the main house, twisting her hands nervously in front of her. After their disastrous first meeting, she was worried about seeing Ben again. She didn’t understand how such an arrogant, rude man came from such a kind woman like Leia or such a charmer like Han. 

 

She was debating whether to just sneak in and grab something from the kitchen, when the door swung open. 

 

Ben barreled out, storm clouds hovering over him. He clearly didn’t see her and Rey sidestepped to avoid being run over. 

 

“Oh,” he stopped, when her movement caught his eye. “Rey, I —“

 

Han came charging out after Ben. “We aren’t done here, young man. You may be thirty, but you’re still my son and this is still my roof. You —.”

 

He froze, spotting Rey. For a tense moment, no one spoke. Both men’s eyes were on their guest. 

 

“I’m sorry,” she quickly apologized. “I thought dinner was at seven and...” she trailed off. 

 

And what? She’d just been hovering outside looking for an excuse not to come in only to eavesdrop on a private family conversation? 

 

“I’ll um...I’ll just go around to the kitchen,” Rey said sheepishly. 

 

“Do you like sushi?” Ben suddenly asked.

 

“What?”

 

“There’s a great place in town. Kanja Klub. My treat,” he added, then turned to glare at his father. “I need to take a drive anyway.”

 

Rey glanced over at Han, who was standing stiffly with his hands at his side. She wasn’t a doctor, but she suspected all of this arguing wasn’t going to help his heart complications.

 

Which was how she found herself saying, “Sure.”

 

Ben didn’t wait for her before he began trudging off in the dark, expecting her to follow. His strides were so long, she almost had to run to keep up with him. 

 

He piled into a sleek, black Maserati, the one she had spotted earlier. The vehicle roared to life as Rey slipped into the passenger seat. It was so new, she could still smell the leather, which creaked as she sat down. 

 

Ben revved the engine, clearly for Han’s benefit, and proceeded to peel out of the driveway. 

 

He didn’t speak. Rey noticed how hard his hands were clutching the steering wheel and wondered what had set him off. It didn’t seem like it would take much. He’d been rather agitated from the moment she’d met him. 

 

Still, he had offered to buy her dinner and if there was one way to get into her good graces, it was with food. 

 

“So, what do you do?” she asked, extending the olive branch. 

 

A pause and then, “Do?”

 

“For work?” Rey clarified, trying to keep the bite from her voice. 

 

“I’m an Art History professor.” 

 

Rey frowned. “What kind of professor makes enough to own a Maserati?”

 

“One who moonlights as an art Authenticator for Calrissian & Associates,” he explained. “When I was working on my thesis, my bank account was...low, so I offered up my services to help with insurance fraud, particularly with antiquities and art. Mr. Calrissian pays his consultants quite well.”

 

She nodded. It made sense. His no-nonsense logic reminded her of Leia in that moment, but then she recalled Han’s earlier comment. 

 

“Your parents don’t approve?”

 

“My mother wanted me to be a lawyer. My father wanted me to be a pilot. They were both disappointed I chose Academia over loftier goals,” Ben sighed. 

 

Rey wondered if Leia’s time at the college was in an effort to better understand her son. Was that why the former Senator had taken such a pay cut to listen to freshmen complain about their course load?

 

His choice sparked her interest. Striking out on his own, with little to no support from his family must have challenging. Was the end result worth it?

 

“Are you happy?” she asked.

 

He shifted to look at her, the first time since they’d left the compound. Rey felt her breath catch in her throat. Why were his eyes always so intense? 

 

“Yes,” he replied after a beat and turned his attention back to the road. 

 

“Then that’s all that matters,” Rey assured him. 

 

“What about you?” he returned.

 

“What about me?”

 

“Are you happy? With your job? With life? Or does your family make your life miserable too?”

 

“Oh.” Rey worried on her lower lip. 

 

How did she answer him? He was basically a stranger and she rarely spoke about her time before college. Rose and Finn knew, of course, but other than them, Rey hadn’t shared her backstory with anyone. Not even Leia. 

 

She finally settled on, “No, they don’t bother me.”

 

“Must be nice,” he remarked. “Wish I had them instead of mine. Want to trade?”

 

“I...I don’t have a family,” she admitted, fighting to keep her voice level.

 

Ben swiveled to stare at her. “Shit,” he cursed. “Rey, I’m sorry, I —.”

 

“It’s fine,” she cut him off. The only thing worse than people not knowing and making assumptions was people knowing and pitying her. 

 

He cleared his throat and after a moment of silence, he chuckled, “Guess we both have shitty families, huh?”

 

She peeked over, surprised when she saw him smirking at her. He seemed to be trying, so Rey offered him a small smile. “Yeah, I guess so.”

 

She’d been alone for so long, but at least she wasn’t alone in this. 

 

* * *

 

Rey woke to sunlight streaming into her apartment. She blinked several times, unsure where she was. 

 

Then it came back.

 

Quitting the First Order, spending all her savings on a cross-country flight, meeting the family and staff of Skywalker Ranch and starting her new life. 

 

She rolled to her side, checking her phone. Rey cursed when she saw eleven missed calls from Rose and Finn. She’d forgotten to let them know when she arrived. She’d been too flustered from her first impression of Ben to follow up with them.

 

She decided not to try and unpack the enigma which was Ben Solo before she’d had her morning cup of coffee.

 

Instead, she changed into a comfortably worn pair of jeans and a T-shirt. While she tied her beat-up pair of Chucks, Rey dialed Rose’s cell.

 

“Hello?” a groggy voice answered on the fifth ring.

 

“Hey, it’s me.”

 

“Rey!” the woman practically shrieked. Then away from the mic, she said, “Wake up! Wake up, it’s Rey.”

 

“Hey Peanut.” A sleepy Finn joined on speakerphone.

 

“Sorry I didn’t call to check in yesterday,” Rey apologized. “I got tied up.”

 

“How is it? Are they feeding you? Do you have to share a bathroom with one of the other staff members or something ridiculous like that? Are any of them cute?”

 

Rey laughed at Rose’s flurry of questions. She put her friend’s mind at ease by explaining her living arrangement and providing a high-level overview of everyone she had met. Rey did not mention Ben’s resemblance to Kylo Ren or the fact she’d met him while in a towel.

 

“It sounds great, Peanut,” Finn replied supportively before yawning into the mic.

 

“I’m sorry,” Rey apologizes again. “I forgot about the time difference. Go back to sleep. I’ll call you this weekend.”

 

“Love you, girl.” Rose made kissing sounds.

 

“Love you both, too.”

 

She ended the call and went to the bathroom to freshen up. It wouldn’t be good to arrive for breakfast with morning breath.

 

The walk to the main house wasn’t far, but it proved to be just long enough for Rey’s thoughts to circle back around to Ben. As she strolled past his Maserati, Rey sped up.

 

They hadn’t discussed anything of substance over dinner. Rey carefully avoided the topic of his parents and Ben made a point of not bringing up her childhood. Small talk was painful and clearly not a strong suit for either of them. They managed to get through the evening, Rey thanking him in the driveway for the sushi and the ride.

 

Considering what prompted them to leave the ranch, it was rather uneventful. So why did she feel the need to keep analyzing it?

 

Rey shook her head, moving past the prior evening to the day ahead.

 

“Rey.” Leia grinned over her cup of coffee, as Rey entered the kitchen. “There you are!”

 

“Good morning,” she greeted her host and employer.

 

“You missed all the excitement last night,” Leia remarked.

 

 _No, I didn’t_ , Rey thought to herself, as Maz placed a sheet of freshly baked blueberry muffins on the kitchen island.

 

“These look amazing, Maz.” She smiled, her mouth watering.

 

“Have as many as you like, dear." The older woman patted her cheek.

 

“I might take a couple with me to the hangar, in case I get hungry later,” Rey commented, grabbing her own cup of coffee to wash her breakfast down with.

 

“Don’t work too hard,” Leia said. “There’s nothing in there that needs immediate attention. You are welcome to take a few days and rest.”

 

“No.” Rey shook her head. “I’m ready to get started.”

 

“Well at least let me introduce you to Poe before you head back out.”

 

“Poe?”

 

“Yes.” Leia grinned. “Poe Dameron. He’s come to help us out this summer as well. Poe is a vegan and great with animals. He’s going to be taking care of the horses. He even brought along his pony, Sparkles Pancake.” Rey fought to keep her face neutral at that. Was this guy for real? “He just got in last night while you and Ben were out for dinner,” Leia finished.

 

Rey prayed Leia didn’t notice her blush. Their impromptu dinner outing had been on her mind, but she didn’t want to think about the reasons why.

 

“By the way, how was Kanja Klub?” Leia asked.

 

“Oh.” Rey focused on her muffin, cheeks burning. “Fine. It was fine.”

 

“I’m glad Ben at least picked up a few manners,” Leia muttered, sounding equal parts relieved and disappointed. 

 

“Good morning, ladies,” a charismatic voice entered their discussion.

 

Rey glanced up to see a tanned, dark-haired man enter. He had a charming grin fixed on his face, as if he was hiding a secret.

 

“I’m Poe,” he introduced himself.

 

“Nice to meet you,” she replied. “I’m Rey.”

 

“I know.” He gave her a wink before sitting down next to Leia. 

 

“I hear you were just made captain,” Leia mentioned.

 

“Congrats, Flyboy.” Maz saluted him from across the kitchen. Poe chuckled and gave her a responding salute. 

 

“That’s quite an accomplishment,” Rey agreed conversationally. “How long have you been in the service?”

 

“He’s not.” An unimpressed Ben emerged.

 

“Morning, Ben,” Rey greeted him. She was the only one.

 

He merely nodded towards her, the sole indication he’d even heard her.

 

Like yesterday, he was dressed in all black from head to toe. Despite his sullen mood and monochromatic wardrobe, Rey couldn’t keep her eyes off him. She kept thinking back to their conversation in the car. How could someone that kind be the same person as the broody individual before her now? 

 

“Solo.” Poe nodded. “Nice to see you too.”

 

“Mooching off my parents again, Dameron?”

 

“Same old, Ben. Always angry at the world.” Poe clucked his tongue, dismissively. Rey didn’t appreciate his condescending tone. 

 

“At least I can think for myself.” Ben shot back.

 

“Enough!” Leia stood, slamming her hands down on the island counter. “The both of you! While you are here under my roof, you’ll be civil. And if you find you can’t be, then you can leave. Understand?”

 

“Yes, Leia.”

 

“Yeah, mom.”

 

“Good.” she glared at both of them, before taking her seat. 

 

Silence stretched between everyone for a time. Maz busied herself with baking her another tray of muffins while Leia and Poe seemed content to merely sit. Rey watched her hands tear through another muffin, slowly chewing the warm buttery taste. Ben remained leaning against the kitchen counter across from her, sipping his coffee, which he took black. Of course.

 

“It’s rare to find such a talented mechanic in such short notice.” Poe broke the quiet and it took Rey a moment to realize he was speaking to her. “Especially one as attractive as you, Rey.”

 

“Oh, um...thank you,” she replied softly. 

 

For the second time that morning, Rey felt her cheeks burn, though this time it was due to embarrassment. 

 

Ben grumbled something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like, “Don’t be a dick, Dameron,” and stormed out.

 

Rey watched him go, her appetite disappearing along with him. 

 

Poe glanced around the kitchen, oblivious. “Was it something I said?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you spot all the Easter eggs?  
> 


	3. The Author

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you [LoveofEscapism](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LoveofEscapism/pseuds/LoveofEscapism/works) for beta-ing!
> 
> For those who are interested, the Easter Eggs are explained in the End Notes.

****

 

Working with gears was far easier than working with people. Rey forgot about the tension from the main house while underneath the golf cart. She hadn’t bothered to pocket any extra muffins, a decision she regretted instantly when her stomach grumbled. She threw her focus into changing the oil of the vehicle, only to discover it also needed new brakes.

 

The hours flew by while she worked, her mind solving each problem she came into contact with. She missed having a hands-on job.

 

When she’d first joined the First Order, Hux had promised she could spend every other week in the Research and Development department. Naturally, once she’d signed on, he’d chained her to her desk, burying her under paperwork so she had no choice but to work on designs.

 

Hearing the clink of metal and the moan of her wrench on the fastenings, brought her back to the whole reason she’d pursued engineering in the first place. Machines spoke to her. They had their own language and it was one Rey had spoken from an early age.

 

Machines didn’t yell at you. Machines didn’t raise a hand to you. Machines worked for you, as long as you took care of them and Rey was very good at taking care of what took care of her.

 

Covered in grease and happily humming away, she failed to notice a pair of feet enter the hangar.

  
“Anyone home?” A knock sounded on the side of the golf cart.

 

Rey shoved out from under the belly of the vehicle, squinting against the fluorescent light. As her eyes adjusted, she noticed her visitor was Poe.

 

“Oh, hi,” she acknowledged him, before sliding back under.

 

“You’re awfully busy for your first day,” Poe observed. “Why don’t you take a break?”

 

“I’m good,” she called back.

 

She was determined to fix the suspension before lunch. The last time she’d worked on an old Trans Am for Plutt, she’d managed to get the suspension swapped out in under two hours. Rey wanted to break her own record. 

 

“Leia and Han aren’t slave drivers like most employers.” Poe went on. 

 

Beneath the golf cart, Rey rolled her eyes. He really had no idea what he was talking about. She doubted he’d ever experienced an actual slave driver. He was far too posh. In fact, Poe was beginning to remind her of Hux. Like her former boss, he was convinced he knew everything. He didn’t take no for an answer. He didn’t listen to her. And he wanted to be in control. 

 

She didn’t like it. 

 

“What I mean is, if you want to take a break to grab a drink with me, they wouldn’t mind,” he continued.

 

“It’s not even noon,” Rey pointed out.

 

“It’s five o’clock somewhere.” Poe chuckled.

 

Rey rolled her eyes again. Obviously he thought he was funny and maybe if she hadn’t been hell-bent on breaking her record she would have taken him up on the offer, but not before lunch and certainly not on her first day. 

 

“Maybe some other time,” she gave him her answer. “I’m kind of in the middle of something right now.”

 

“Hard worker, huh?” Poe didn’t take the hint. “I get that. When I’m flying, it’s all business, all the time.”

 

He droned on about his pilot license, while Rey tried to tune him out so she could finish. Just one more quarter turn there and a half turn here and—

 

“Dameron!”

 

Rey jumped, dropping her wrench from the volume of Ben’s voice. She bit back a curse and shoved herself out into the light. 

 

Ben was standing at the rear of the golf cart, while Poe was at the front. She was left in between, like a sort of gender-version of monkey in the middle. 

 

“Hey, Solo, how’s it hanging?” 

 

“Weren’t you supposed to pick up groceries on your way to the pharmacy for my Dad’s meds?”

 

“I was just on my way out,” Poe replied smoothly.

 

“Funny,” Ben argued. “I thought your car was in the driveway.”

 

Poe shrugged. “I may have made a slight detour.”

 

“And now you’re going to get back on track and do your goddamn job,” Ben asserted. 

 

The pilot leaned towards Rey and whispered, not so silently, “that is what happens when you don’t get laid. You turn into a tightly wound asshole.”

 

Rey didn’t say anything. She’d never been intimate with anyone, so by Poe’s logic, she and Ben Solo were one in the same.

 

“Don’t you agree?” He nudged her. 

 

“I wouldn’t know,” Rey sighed. 

 

All she’d wanted was to work in the hangar, maybe listen to a bit of music and enjoy being alone with her thoughts for a change. 

 

“It’s okay if you do,” Poe urged. “Ben doesn’t have feelings like the rest of us. He’s basically a robot.”

 

Rey didn’t appreciate his attempt at humor. It irked her the way he was writing Ben off.  Poe spoke about Ben as if he wasn’t standing right there, just like how Hux used to talk at her instead of to her. Part of her wanted to smack that ridiculous grin off his face, but she was too afraid about blowing her new job.

 

When she didn’t say anything, Poe continued to tease. 

 

“Do you think he hears us?” 

 

Rey glanced nervously between the two men. If possible, it appeared that Ben had grown even more tense. When he raised his eyes, they were no longer deep caramel. They were molten chocolate, darker than the coffee he’d had at breakfast.

 

“Of course, I can hear you,” he grumbled. “I’m not deaf.”

 

“Isn’t it exhausting to always be such a downer, Solo?”

 

“Poe.” Rey slanted her eyes at him in warning. 

 

“Don’t worry, beautiful.” He waved her off. “He’s used to my jokes. We grew up together.”

 

“I’d rather be practical than have my head in the clouds like you, Dameron,” Ben argued, stepping closer to them. 

 

“Can’t imagine why you’re still single then?”

 

“I don’t see a ring on your finger,” Ben pointed out.

 

“Maybe I was waiting for the right girl to come along,” Poe retaliated, slinging his arm around Rey’s shoulders. “What’s your excuse?”

 

Ben’s eyes caught the movement and his nostrils flared. “I don’t need one,” he muttered.

 

Rey bit her lip, unsure of what to do. She was stuck between them, as they talked over her in their quest to secure male dominance. This was not what she’d signed up for when she accepted the position. Rey hadn’t asked for this. She wanted no part of it.

 

She shoved away from both of them, running off past the hangar. She thought she heard them call after her, but Rey refused to stop. Her legs carried her farther away from the main house than she’d been before, down the grassy hill her bedroom window overlooked and by a large pond. She didn’t stop until she came to the tree line.

 

A small dwelling was situated there. It was hardly more than a shack, but Rey knew the instant she saw it who lived there. 

 

Renewed with purpose, she strolled up to the door and rapped three times. “Mr. Skywalker?”

 

There was no answer. She stepped back, inspecting the hut. A soft stream of smoke was coming out of a thin chimney at the top. Someone was definitely home. 

 

She tried again. “Mr. Skywalker, my name is Rey. I work for your sister, Leia.”

 

“Go away,” a hoarse voice shouted. 

 

“Please, if I could only have a moment of your time—.”

 

“You don’t need it.”

 

“Mr. Skywalker,” she persisted, tapping again.

 

Suddenly, the door flung open and she was met the icy blue eyes of the man she’d dreamed of meeting since she was a child. Unlike how she’d envisioned their first meeting though, his eyes were narrowed and waves of irritation rolled off of him. 

 

“Not what you were expecting?”

 

“No, I—.”

 

“What did you think was going to happen here?” the surly man grumbled. “Did you think I was going to open up my private residence and discuss the inner workings of my family, all so you could feel better about yourself?”

 

She gaped at him. 

 

“Or are you here to tell me that my books matter? That Luke Skywalker is still a legend in the writer’s world? That he can make a difference,” he asked sarcastically. “Why do you think I live all the way out here?” 

 

Rey opened her mouth to respond, but he cut her off again. 

 

“The public doesn’t want to hear from me and I don’t want to hear from the public. So take your expectations and go away.” 

 

With that, he retreated back into his shack, slamming the door in her face. 

 

She stood there, her shock morphing into mortification. That was the man she had idolized, the man who had created a world of fantasy so real she’d dedicated her supplemental income to it. 

 

Her body felt alien as she wandered back to the hangar in a disappointed daze. Her limbs felt heavy. A tightness settled in her chest. Rey’s first impulse was to curl up in bed, hiding in her covers for the remainder of the day. Maybe she could sneak into the main house and steal a bottle of wine to soothe her wounded soul.

 

She fought back tears. All her dreams and hopes of meeting her idol had shattered. She’d expected some resistance. She’d expected some skepticism. But she hadn’t expected him to be...an...an utter asshole!

 

Rey didn’t hear the clap of thunder or notice the eerie way the clouds shifted from fluffy white to a tumultuous gray. It wasn’t until the sky opened up, drowning her in streams of cold rain, that she recognized her day had gone from bad to worse. 

 

Head hung low, she stomped up the grassy hill. It was difficult to scale in the rain, the long blades of grass smooth from the downpour. The ground offered no traction and she slipped. Mud drenched the knees of her jeans, while her palms stung from breaking her fall.

 

The tears came, then.

 

Sitting in the mud, staring at her scraped hands and her torn jeans, her emotions spilled over. She’d made a mistake coming here. Rose had been right. Rey had spent all her savings on a plane ticket, believing if she could only meet Luke Skywalker, she’d be justified in finding her belonging in a story she wasn’t a part of. A fictional story.

 

She barked out a harsh laugh. Was she really so naive?

 

The weight of her decision hit her hard. It was a mistake. All of it was a mistake — quitting her job, flying here, running off to look for someone who didn’t want to be found. In trying to find where she belonged, Rey had lost herself.

 

“Rey!” She glanced up to see a dark figure jogging towards her. “Rey.” Ben slowed down to a stop. He was breathing heavily, as if he’d been running for a while. “Are you alright?”

 

“Fine,” she mumbled, hastily getting up off the ground. She didn’t want him to see her for the mess she was.

 

“No, you’re not,” he disagreed, immediately reaching to help her.

 

“I’m fine,” she insisted, but she couldn’t stop her teeth from chattering. When had it gotten so chilly? Wasn’t California supposed to be warm?

 

“Rey, come on.” Ben offered her his hand. The wires must have been crossed in her brain, because it was exactly like one of her fantasies. Kylo reaching for her and...

 

...and Ben wasn’t Kylo. 

 

Ben was _real_. 

 

“You’re shivering. Here.” He undid his jacket, draping it around her shoulders and cocooning her inside, like a babe being swaddled. If she hadn’t been aware of their size difference before, she was now. His jacket came past her knees, covering more than half her body.

 

“I’ve got you,” he told her. It was the only warning she got before he scooped her up and proceeded to carry her. 

 

“Ben,” she sighed exasperatedly. 

 

He ignored her.

 

“Ben, this isn’t necessary. I’m cold, not paralyzed.”

 

He continued towards the hangar, stumbling a bit when he hit a slick section of grass.

 

“Ben, you’re going to fall!”

 

“I’ve got you just fine,” he finally replied. “I’m not going to abandon you.”

 

She snapped her mouth shut. Well, what was she supposed to say to _that_? 

 

Apparently chivalry wasn’t dead to Ben Solo. Rey supposed there were worse things than being carried across an open field like some Austen-era heroine. She stopped fighting him, resigned to let him do as he pleased. 

 

He couldn’t possibly know how much his words meant to her. In that moment, no matter how lost she felt, Rey found a silver lining in the fact that she wasn’t alone.

 

The soft pattering of rain was the only sound, as they trekked back. With Ben’s concentration on the unstable terrain, Rey was presented with the chance to study him. 

 

His chiseled features were prominent in a way which was flattering considering how large he was. Those dark eyes of his were constantly changing with his mood, transitioning between caramel to amber to nearly black. Normally, his hair was perfectly quaffed, though right now, it hung around his face, drenched and dripping onto his shirt. His broad form was all muscle and power, though he seemed to be like Chewie — tough guy on the surface but a secret softie.

 

Rey smiled to herself as she made the connection.

 

Once again, she recognized how Luke used traits from his own life to world build. Ben was every ounce Kylo Ren, with the exception of the modulator mask obscuring his face. A mask would have been unfortunate, because Ben was handsome, breathtakingly so, a fact only made more apparent by his physical strength. 

 

He didn’t set her down until they were inside the hangar and upstairs by her apartment door.

 

Rey turned to face him, stifling a laugh at his soaked state. They looked like a pair of drowned rats.

 

“Can I get you anything?” Ben asked, eyeing her scuffed up knees.

 

“No.” She shook her head. “I’m going to get out of these wet clothes and shower. You should do the same.” Ben’s cheeks turned crimson and Rey realized how her suggestion sounded. “No, I mean…that’s not….not with me. By yourself. Up at the main house. Not with me.”

 

He chuckled, brushing his hair out of his face with one hand. “I’ll see you at dinner?”

 

“Are you eating at the main house tonight?”

 

Ben’s face softened. “Yes.”

 

“Then yes,” she smiled as she spoke. “I’ll see you there.”

 

He nodded and started down the steps.

 

Rey pivoted around to open her door, when he called to her. She glanced over her shoulder. “You know, if you want Luke to do something, you just have to stay on him. You can wear him down.”

 

“He won’t listen to me,” Rey sighed. “He won’t even open his door.”

 

“Then give him a reason to.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>   
> Easter Eggs  
> \- Blue Harvest (Original working title of Episode IV: The Return of the Jedi)  
> -Cobalt Hammer (Paige Tico's bomber)  
> -Skywalker Ranch (The secluded workplace and studio of George Lucas in Nicasio, California)  
> -Kanja Klub (This one is fairly straight forward. One of the criminal organizations that appears in Episode VII who Han swindles.)  
> -Vegan Poe and Sparkles Pancakes (This is from Austenland and if you haven't read/seen it, you should)  
> More to come in the following chapters!


	4. The Arrangement

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to post this last night, but after a 14-hour work day, I collapsed into bed. So I'm a day late, but hopefully you can all forgive me. 
> 
> Thank you once again to my amazing beta [LoveofEscapism](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LoveofEscapism/pseuds/LoveofEscapism/works)!

 

Rey took Ben’s advice. The next day she began a new routine. She woke early to have breakfast in the main house with Maz. Usually at that time they were the only two awake. Then she’d work through lunch in the hangar. 

 

The golf cart still needed a tune-up and the mower was nowhere near functional. After a quick bite, Rey went back out, but she didn’t stop at the hangar, she kept going all the way to the forest, to where Luke lived. 

 

Every day it was the same. She’d knock on the door, ask him to speak to her, and he’d vehemently refuse.

 

Every day he rejected her.

 

Every day Rey stomped back up the hill.

 

Every day she had dinner up at the big house with the rest of the ranch inhabitants.

 

And every day Ben walked her back to the hangar after dinner. 

 

“Still not budging, huh?” he asked two weeks into her new routine. 

 

“Not even an inch,” she sighed defeatedly, kicking a pebble with the toe of her shoe. 

 

“He’s set in his ways,” Ben commented.

 

Rey scoffed, “you think?” 

 

Ben smirked. “He’s a Skywalker. The whole family is thick-headed.”

 

She furrowed her brow, eyeing him. “You’re part of that family.”

 

“Don’t remind me,” Ben chuckled.

 

She’d grown fond of their little chats as they strolled between the buildings. It wasn’t a long distance, but she found them walking slower and slower each night as they discovered common ground. 

 

Rey hadn’t managed to get through to Mr. Skywalker, but she was beginning to unravel the mystery which was Ben Solo. 

 

She learned he fell in love with art as a junior in high school. When Leia had taken him along on a trip to Florence, she’d left Ben alone for a day in the city. Looking for somewhere quiet, he found the Uffizi Gallery.  

 

What Rey enjoyed the most about Ben sharing his story with her was how he relaxed. She couldn’t see the creases on his forehead or any tension in his neck. He was borderline happy when he spoke about art. While Rey wasn’t sure what the difference between da Vinci’s Madonna and Child was versus Botticelli’s Madonna and Child, she was sure Ben would be all too eager to explain it.

 

“This is me.” She gestured to the hangar door. 

 

“Keep it up,” Ben encouraged her. “He won’t keep you out forever.”

 

“I’m starting to lose hope,” Rey admitted. 

 

“Hope is like the sun,” Ben told her. “If you only believe in it when you can see it, you’ll never make it through the night.”

 

She blinked, surprised by the poetry flowing from his full lips. “Ben...did you write that?”

 

“No,” he flushed, ducking his head. “Uh, that’s something my mom used to tell me when I was going through a hard time.” She smiled at him. “I thought, maybe, it would make you feel better.”

 

Rey reached over to slip her hand around his. “Thank you.” She gave him a light squeeze before turning back to her door. “Night, Ben.”

 

“Goodnight, Rey.”

 

* * *

 

When she arrived at Luke’s hut the following day, Rey came with a bag full of supplies. Today she wasn’t going to leave. She’d sit on his porch all night if she had to, but one way or another, Luke Skywalker was going to talk to her.

 

Rey knocked, as she always did, and waited for his gruff rebuttal.

 

None came.

 

She tried again. “Mr. Skywalker? It’s Rey. May I come in?”

 

When he didn’t respond a second time, Rey turned the knob. The door was locked. Curious, she walked around, peering into the windows.

 

Inside the hut was dark. Glancing up, she noticed the nrmal chimney smoke wasn’t present either.

 

Where had he gone?

 

Rey glanced around the woods. She couldn’t see much beyond the tree line, the forest dense with overgrown vegetation. Growing up in the city meant she knew little to nothing about the potential wildlife and plants she could come across, so she sat down on the porch and pulled out her sketch pad.

 

She opened it to the page of the saber staff she’d designed. It was a cross between a quarter staff and a lightsaber, resulting in a double-bladed weapon.

 

When she’d been working at the First Order, sketching designs for the Blue Harvest universe had kept her entertained. Some of the concepts came out better than others but none of them captivated her the way the saber staff had.

 

Rey had spent countless hours perfecting the drawing, even going as far as to complete cross sections of the device, as if she meant to actually build it. It felt silly to be proud of a fantasy weapon, yet she was.

 

And she wanted Mr. Skywalker to use it in his next novel.

 

While she waited for him to return, Rey flipped over a fresh page. She started sketching with no real purpose. Her hobby had begun as a way to keep her hands busy when she couldn’t be under the hood of a car. It was pure luck she actually had talent when it came to bringing what she saw in her mind to life on paper.

 

At first, the rough lines and shading weren’t recognizable. Then slowly a face took form. A face with wild, dark eyes and raven black hair.

 

Rey blushed.

 

Her thoughts drifted to Ben often, but seeing him contained in her sketch pad felt somehow intimate. Rey rarely drew people. Her skills were focused on machines and products, not the curves of cheekbones or the subtle arch of eyebrows, yet she’d managed to capture both on the page before her.

 

“You’re early today.”

 

Rey snapped her sketchbook shut, mortified to have been caught mooning over Ben by his uncle.

 

“It’s a good likeness,” he commented with a hint of mischief in his blue eyes.

 

She felt her cheeks burn.

 

“You didn’t tell me you could draw.” He passed by her to open his front door. Rey was surprised when he didn’t immediately shut it in her face. So surprised, in fact, that he mocked her. “Well, are you coming in or not?”

 

Scrambling to her feet, she hurried inside.

 

Luke’s hut was a complete one-eighty from the elaborately decorated main house. From first glance, Rey could tell he was more interested in the bare necessities than being featured in the next issue of Modern Home.

 

There was no radio, no TV and no laptop, but she did spot an ancient typewriter sitting atop his desk.

 

“You’ve hung out longer than most reporters, so I can tell you’re just as stubborn as Ben.”

 

Rey waited for her flush to recess before turning around to face the author.

 

“Why haven’t you written another novel since _Starkiller_?” she asked. “It was the first part of the new trilogy but it’s been years.”

 

“Has it? I haven’t noticed.”

 

She couldn’t tell if he was being sarcastic to be funny or just to taunt her. It didn’t matter. She was on a mission.

 

“I want to know how Kylo Ren’s story ends.”

 

Mr. Skywalker studied her for a moment. Rey felt herself straighten up, suddenly worrying she didn’t appear as determined as she was.

 

“Why?” he finally queried.

 

She had anticipated the question, but now that he’d asked, Rey found herself unable to answer.

 

It wasn’t just because the _Blue Harvest_ novels had gotten her through the toughest moments of her life. It wasn’t because she was a fan, even though she was. It wasn’t even because she hated leaving projects unfinished.

 

No, the reason was far more personal and therefore harder to share.

 

“I need to know a broken person can be made whole again.”

 

Luke’s expression gave nothing away. He continued to regard her for a time. Rey stood frozen in her spot, barely breathing as she waited for him to respond.

 

“I’d like to believe everyone is capable of redemption,” he eventually said. “Unfortunately, that is where I’ve been struggling with this trilogy. I need a catalyst, something to push Kylo back to the light.

 

“What about a new character?” Rey suggested, opening her sketch pad earnestly.

 

Luke studied her saber staff design. “Interesting.”

 

Rey seized her opportunity, launching into her ideas around the prequel trilogy and how to tie in elements to the new series.

 

Luke challenged her constantly. He found flaws in her arguments, picking apart the tiniest of details. As frustrating as it was, Rey felt invigorated by the experience. How many people got to meet their idol and dive into an in-depth conversation of the world they’d built? 

 

Neither of them sat down, too spun up by the conversation. Rey tended to speak animatedly, with her arms flailing around and her face contorting with each new expression. Luke, on the other hand, remained very solemn unless she was unwilling to budge on a particular point. Then he tended to get annoyed. His nostril flared and his eyes turned icy. 

 

They were so involved in their debate, neither noticed the sun setting. 

 

It wasn’t until a pounding on the door sounded that they took a break from their ranting.

 

Luke grimaced. “This is why I don’t entertain visitors,” he grumbled as he went for the door. “They always seem to multiply.”

 

When he opened the door, Ben stood there, his face pinched in a scowl. “Is Rey here?” he asked his uncle briskly. 

 

“Rey,” Luke called her over. 

 

She saw Ben visibly relax as soon as she stepped into view. “You didn’t show up for dinner,” he commented. 

 

“Is it that late?” 

 

“I asked them to hold off,” Ben replied quickly. Luke made a grunting sound, halfway between a laugh and a judging groan. Ben’s eyes hardened. “Maybe if you didn’t live at the end of the property, it wouldn’t have taken me so long to find her.”

 

“The exercise is good for you,” Luke shot back. 

 

The strained expression on both their faces was enough to prompt Rey into action. She hastily gathered up her things, collecting her papers and her sketchbook while Ben watched over her shoulder and Luke scrutinized every detail. 

 

“Thank you for this afternoon, Mr. Skywalker,” Rey said gratefully. 

 

He nodded, watching as Ben guided her out of the cabin, following close behind. 

 

They’d barely stepped off the porch, when Luke’s voice stopped them. “Rey, you gave me an idea. I think you’re right.”

 

“Really?” Her face filled with excitement, as she spun around. 

 

“I’m going to write a new character, Kira, to pull Kylo back to the light.”

 

“Kira,” she repeated, trying out the name. She beamed. “I like it.”

 

“Good, because I would like you to be a part of her creation,” Luke went on.

 

“How?”

 

“I want you and Ben to act out their scenes together.”

 

“You want us to do what?” Ben snapped.

 

“You two are here for the summer,” Luke explained. “I’ve seen your daily routine, Ben. You aren’t busy. Help me finish this novel. It’s time for the _Blue Harvest_ saga to end.”

 

“This isn’t a movie,” Ben balked. “It’s a sci-fi novel. Use your imagination. That’s what your editor pays you for!”

 

Luke gave his nephew a disgruntled look. “You know I based the Scoundrel and the Princess off your parents, right?” Ben didn’t move a muscle. “Do you remember that scene in the third novel where the Princess wore a golden bikini and—.”

 

“Stop.” Ben’s expression soured. “Please stop talking.”

 

“Then help me put an end to this,” Luke suggested.

 

“Fine,” Ben sighed dejectedly, running a hand through his hair.

 

“Rey?” Luke turned to her. 

 

“I’ll do it,” she agreed and Luke loosened up. “If,” she drawled and both men eyed her curiously, “you use the saber staff design I made for Kira.”

 

For a moment, the author studied her. Then a cheeky grin appeared on his weathered face. “Agreed.”

 

* * *

 

After running over the particulars of their new arrangement with Luke, Rey and Ben left the author to work on the new scenes. They promised to come back in a week, once Rey had finished her work on Chewie’s truck and Luke had prepared content for them. 

 

“So, how do you want to do this?” Ben asked, as they strolled up to the main house for dinner. 

 

“We could rehearse in the hangar?” she offered. “Meet Luke halfway so we don’t have to do this hike every day.”

 

“I don’t mind the hike,” he told her.

 

“No? Just me then?” she teased.

 

Ben glanced over at her, his expression unreadable. “I don’t— ...you make me nervous,” he admitted.

 

Rey stared at him. He’d misunderstood her joke, but that wasn’t the point she was hung up on. _She_ made _him_ nervous. Before she could ask him about it, he changed the subject.

 

“How are you liking the ranch? Besides Dameron.”

 

“You really don’t like him, do you?”

 

He turned red, the same way he had the first day they met, all the way to his ears. “I’m not good at talking to people, as you might have guessed.”

 

Rey couldn’t help but smile at him. “You seem to do fine with me,” she encouraged him. “And I like it.”

 

He looked away from her, even redder. 

 

“The ranch,” she clarified. “I like it. It’s what I needed, an escape, but sometimes...” Rey trailed off, not sure how to put into words what she felt when Luke hadn’t turned out to be the man she expected. 

 

“You put someone on a pedestal and when they don’t live up to it, you are the one left disenchanted,” Ben filled in for her. 

 

“Yes,” she cried. “Exactly.”

 

“I understand that.”

 

“Still.” Rey grinned to herself. “There’s something nice about not having any restrictions here. I feel like I can breathe, like I’m finally awake for the first time in my life, not just held down by my need to generate a paycheck.”

 

Ben gazed at her. “You didn’t enjoy your prior job?”

 

Rey filled him in on the First Order and how she’d drafted designs for production.

 

“That sounds right up your alley. Why did you leave?”

 

She explained the situation with Hux, unaware of how Ben’s hands balled up into fists at his side. “I’ll miss designing,” Rey sighed. “I always liked to sketch. It made me feel more creative than I actually am.”

 

“I saw your drawing for the saber staff,” Ben reminded her. “You have a gift.”

 

“Thank you.” Rey met his eyes. She hoped he hadn’t seen any of her other drawings.

 

They fell into silence until the main house came into view. 

 

“My mother mentioned you're a fan of Kylo Ren,” Ben remarked. “Why is that?”

 

Rey almost tripped over her own feet. “Oh, um, well he’s my fantasy,” she replied quickly. Was her voice always that high? 

 

“Your fantasy?” Ben questioned, arching a brow. 

 

“I mean.” She shrugged, feigning indifference. “He’s a dark knight. The ultimate bad boy. He’s every girl’s fantasy.”

 

That answer seemed to appease him and hey made their way inside. She could hear voices coming from the dining room and the smell of something enticing wafting through the air. Rey was thanking every deity she knew for saving her from divulging any further embarrassing facts, when Ben caught her arm. 

 

They paused in the foyer, just out of ear shot from the dining room.

 

He bent down so close that his forehead was nearly touching hers. “You know Luke based Kylo Ren on me, right?”

 

Rey swallowed, the gulp sounding far louder than it should. “Yes,” she breathed.

 

“Does that mean I’m your fantasy, Rey?”

 

“You’re not Kylo Ren. You’re real.” 

 

Ben searched her face for something, his eyes intense. Then he was leaning in, his other hand coming to rest on the small of her back. 

 

Rey closed her eyes, anticipating the feel of his plush lips against hers.

 

“Ben? Rey? Is that you?” Leia called from the dining room. 

 

Rey jolted and Ben immediately pulled back. 

 

She brushed past him, hurrying to join the others for dinner and hoping they didn’t notice how flushed she was. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>   
> Easter Eggs  
> -Golden Bikini (I think this one is self-explanatory, but this references the controversial costume Carrie Fisher wore in 'Return of the Jedi')  
> -Rey and Ben's dialogue before dinner (This is my play on the famous Austenland scene between Jane and Nobley)
> 
> Next up: Rey and Ben rehearse together...with interesting consequences. And, I've extended the chapter count!


	5. The Fantasy and the Reality

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Continued praise to my beta, [LoveofEscapism](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LoveofEscapism/pseuds/LoveofEscapism/works), who has been an updating queen lately!

 

By the next week, Rey still hadn’t calmed down. All she could think about was how it had felt to be in Ben’s arms and their almost kiss. 

 

She’d been actively avoiding him since. 

 

She told Maz that she was too busy with Chewie’s truck to make it up to the house every day for food, so the chef had given her meals to keep at her apartment when Rey was done in the evening. 

 

After the way Ben had come looking for her at Luke’s hut, Rey expected him to barrel into the hangar. He didn’t.

 

It shouldn’t have disappointed her as much as it did. 

 

When the following week kicked off, Rey was so worked up about the entire situation she was barely sleeping. 

 

Chewie’s truck was done, along with the mower, the golf cart and even Leia’s red Pontiac Grand Prix. The classic car had only required an oil change, but it kept Rey busy. For a little while at least. 

 

Her mentor had no additional mechanical work for Rey, leaving her with the sole duty of performing for Luke, who was due to stop by the hangar any minute now. Along with Ben.

 

She found herself pacing the length of the room. He had tried to kiss her, hadn’t he? Or had she imagined it all? Had she gotten so swept up in the similarities between Ben and Kylo Ren that she lost sight of what was real and what was fantasy? 

 

Rey didn’t know. 

 

Since the ‘almost-kiss,’ she had been having dreams. At first, Rey believed she was dreaming about Kylo, which was normal, but he didn’t have a scar. In her dreams, he spoke softer, blushed and touched her tentatively. 

 

She wasn’t dreaming about Kylo anymore.

 

She was dreaming of Ben.

 

It wasn’t a problem, per se, because Rey could enjoy the possibility while in the safe confines of her own mind. Where it became an issue was when she crossed the line from sleepy musing to reality. Somehow, in the course of a single week, the details from her dreams and the facts of that night in the foyer had overlapped. 

 

Rey couldn’t be sure what was fact and what was fiction. 

 

She was ruminating over it all when a knock sounded at the door. Rey froze, staring at the entrance. It took her a moment to pull herself together and then she was crossing the hangar to answer it. 

 

Her apprehension ebbed slightly when she found only Luke on the other side. 

 

“What’s with you?” he asked in his uncouth way. 

 

“Nothing, nothing.” She shook her head. “Just been cooped up in here all week. Maybe I need some air,” Rey lied. 

 

Luke’s expression said he didn’t believe her, but he let her slip outside. 

 

Rey let out a breath, gazing out at the field. Her eyes tracked the path towards the forest and Luke’s hut, before wrapping around to the other side of the property. The stables were over there, but Rey had kept her distance, not interested in getting cornered by Poe again. 

 

She turned back in the direction of the pond. The surface was flat like a pane of glass, showing her the reflection of the sky above.

 

“Rey?”

 

“Whoa!” She twisted around, slamming her palm out, as if she was going to Force shove the intruder. 

 

Ben tilted his head, clearly entertained, while Luke appeared in the doorway, looking less amused by her antics. 

 

“Sorry, sorry,” she apologized quickly. “I become a Jedi when startled.”

 

Luke raised a brow at her, while Ben coughed into his hand to cover up his chuckle. 

 

“Right,” Mr. Skywalker drawled. “Let’s get started, shall we?” 

 

He walked back into the hangar. Rey groaned. She wasn’t earning herself any brownie points by letting her personal feelings get the best of her. This was her chance to impress her idol. She couldn’t let something as fleeting as physical attraction get in the way of that. 

 

Holding her head high, she followed Mr. Skywalker inside.

 

“Don’t worry,” Ben reassured her, shutting the door. “Luke doesn’t like fun.” Rey nodded, opening her mouth to thank him, when he added, “But, I do.” 

 

And just like that, all her nerves came back. 

 

Her face must have been quite a sight, because he immediately reached for her, leaning down. “Rey, I—.”

 

“Let’s start with the first meeting between Kylo and Kira,” Luke suggested, interrupting the moment. 

 

Ben pursed his lips, but straightened up and took a few sheets of papers from his uncle. 

 

“Rey.” Luke thrust several sheets at her as well. 

 

Her eyes skimmed over the scene. It was beautiful, set in a dense forest around an ancient castle. Even though her character was being chased, the entire section felt like something out of a fairy tale. Rey blamed her co-star for that. 

 

It was hard to imagine someone as broad and tall as Ben charging through the forest after her. She was smaller, agile, able to quickly maneuver around low branches and over roots. 

 

“From the blaster fire,” Luke commanded, taking a seat in the golf cart to watch them. 

 

Rey bit her lower lip, unsure how to begin. She’d never acted before. 

 

It seemed Ben did not have the same issue. His hand shot out at her, a perfect reenactment of Kylo calling the Force to his aid, as if Ben had been plucked right out of the novels. 

 

“The girl I’ve heard so much about.” 

 

Rey was stunned into silence, which had nothing to do with acting and everything to do with Ben’s deep sultry tone. 

 

He spoke his lines with precision, circling her like a predator, his eyes wandering around her form. Rey was like putty in his hands. She couldn’t deny how alluring his voice was or how hot her skin became mere seconds after hearing it. 

 

As he walked around her, Rey managed to swallow, her eyes searching for where he’d reappear in her line of vision. 

 

There was a darkness in his eyes, a flicker of some primal instinct begging to be released. She watched, enraptured by how effortless the change came over him. Ben Solo no longer stood before her. In his place was Kylo Ren and Rey finally understood how Luke could use his family as inspiration for his series. 

 

Luke recited  the Stormtrooper’s dialogue and Ben responded, before swiping his hand over her face.

 

Rey stared up at him, nervous and excited all at once. It took very little prompting for her to fall into his arms. Her legs were already weak and shaking by the time she collapsed. 

 

Ben scooped her up, lifting her as if she weighed nothing and strolling down to the other end of the hangar.

 

As he moved, Rey could feel every twitch of his muscles against her side. He cradled her gently, keeping her close to his chest in an act which contradicted the intimidating enforcer she’d grown to love in Starkiller. The juxtaposition of Kylo Ren’s behavior with others, versus Kylo Ren’s behavior with Kira was part of Luke’s redemption arc. 

 

This was part of his character development. Rey understood that, but it didn’t change how warm she felt in Ben’s hold or how perfectly they fit together. The realization didn’t make her warring emotions any easier to deal with. 

 

She’d never been more grateful to have a reason to keep her eyes closed.

 

“You okay there, little Scavenger?” he teased, jostling her. “You didn’t fall asleep on me, did you?” 

 

“Shhhh,” she scolded him. “I’m rehearsing.”

 

He snorted. “Right,” he drawled. “Because pretending to be unconscious is hard work.”

 

“It is when your scene partner keeps talking off script,” she argued. 

 

Ben faked dropping her, which resulted in Rey’s eyes opening wide and her arms winding around his shoulders to keep herself upright. 

 

“What was that for?” she hissed, heart pounding in her chest as she recognized how close their faces were. 

 

“Just checking,” he replied smugly.

 

“Checking what?”

 

“That was great!” Luke called from the golf cart. 

 

Rey peered over Ben’s shoulder to find the author hunched over, scribbling notes all over his copy of the scene. He appeared ignorant of what was happening between them. 

 

“You can put me down, you know,” Rey told Ben. 

 

“I will, when you let go.” He winked. “But, I think you like being in my arms.” 

 

Rey flushed and instantly retracted her hands from his shoulders. “I don’t know what you mean,” she returned, as he gradually set her down. 

 

“No? I think you do.”

 

She raised her eyes to meet his gaze, immediately regretting it. He was looking at her as though he could see through her. Her blushed burned, proving him right. 

 

“Ah,” he smirked. “You do.”

 

“I don’t  _ do _ anything,” she insisted weakly. 

 

“You do avoid me,” he pointed out. 

 

“I—.”

 

“Let’s move on,” Luke decided, approaching with new sheets for them. 

 

Ben ducked his head down and whispered to Rey, “We’re not done yet, sweetheart.”

 

She was in trouble. 

 

Big trouble. 

 

* * *

Scene rehearsals proved to be exactly what Mr. Skywalker required in order to write the second novel in his new trilogy. After a week, he confirmed he had a couple of chapters written and the words were still coming.    
  


_ Ahch-To  _ was a progression of Kylo Ren’s story as he warred with himself. His struggle between remaining in the dark or returning to the light was motivated by the appearance of Luke’s new character, Kira.   
  


The girl, who held a shocking resemblance to Rey, with the exception of the ornate way she wore her hair, was gifted with a saber staff.    
  


Rey was beyond excited to see her weapon being used in Luke’s scenes, even if her prop was less elaborate. The broom handle worked for choreography.    
  


Though it had taken time to get used to. She’d already unintentionally knocked Ben a handful of times.    
  


“I’m sorry!” Rey cried, dropping the wooden piece as she watched his face contort.    
  


“It’s fine,” he hissed through clenched teeth. Then his eyes lit up and he jabbed at her with his own pretend saber, a foam pool noodle.    
  


“Hey!” Rey swatted the noodle away. “No fair! We were on time out.”   
  


“Since when?” he asked, bringing the noodle around to tap her other side.    
  


“Oh, you’re going down, Solo!”    
  


Rey scurried back to retrieve her broom handle.    
  


“Wait, wait!” He cautioned her as Rey charged. “That’s an actual weapon!”   
  


Ben squeezed his eyes shut as she raised the broom handle. Biting her lip to keep from laughing, Rey brought it down and...   
  


...lightly bopped the end of his nose.    
  


His eyes flickered open. In the next instant, he smacked the broom handle from her hand and had his arms around her waist. Ben lifted her up just enough for her feet to leave the floor and spun them around. Rey squealed with laughter, her hands clamped down on his arms and her back pressed into his chest.    
  


“Ben!”   
  


“You underestimated me, sweetheart,” he told her with a chuckle. “You should have taken me down while you had a chance. Now, you’re mine.”    
  


Rey felt warmth spread through her at his word choice.  _ Mine.  _ That was new, but she couldn’t deny it felt nice.    
  


Over the last week, Ben had made it clear what he wanted. Rey was tempted to give in, if only to explore her own feelings along the way, because her attraction to Ben went well beyond his physical appearance.    
  


He’d gone from walking her back to her apartment after dinner, to meeting her in the morning before breakfast and sitting with her through her lunch in the hangar. They’d begun discussing deeper topics, ranging from Han’s procedure to Rey’s time spent in foster care. Each time he shared more with her, she felt herself falling.   
  


From  _ Starkiller _ , Rey knew Kylo intimately. She understood what his driving factors were, why his rage caused him to act out and how broken he was underneath his mask.    
  


Speaking with Ben was special. She wasn’t reading about his life second hand. He chose to tell her about his past, to reopen old wounds with her by his side. Rey didn’t want him to be alone in his vulnerability, so she opened up too.   
  


Each conversation built on the last as they became more comfortable with one another. It showed in their ability to act for Luke. Rey wasn’t as nervous when Ben entered her personal space, at least not for the same reasons as before. Now she was nervous due to an entirely different cause.   
  


“Will you please concentrate?” Luke grumbled agitatedly.    
  


Rey stifled another bubble of laughter, while Ben struggled to do the same. He set her back down, his hands remaining on her hips while his uncle chided them.     
  


“From the beginning,” Mr. Skywalker sighed exasperatedly. 

 

“The beginning?” she asked, a bit out of breath. “When we meet in the snow?” 

 

“No,” Luke corrected. “All the way back to the beginning in the interrogation room.” 

 

Rey and Ben got into their places, both failing at getting back into character. The scene Luke referenced was serious and after their little skirmish she wasn’t in the right frame of mind to go back to it. She was having too much fun. One look from Mr. Skywalker and her smile vanished. She cleared her throat and gave Ben a nod, signaling she was ready to go. 

 

Or at least as ready as she could be. 

 

Ben shot out his hand, keeping his eyes narrow and his expression stoic. “I know you’ve seen the map and now, you’ll give it to me.”   
  


“I’m not giving you anything,” she drawled in response, furrowing her brow.   
  


She tried to be serious, really she did, but the more she thought about the lines, the more they sounded like a sexual innuendo. As if he knew what she was thinking, Ben puffed up his chest and looked down his nose at her. Rey let out an undignified snort.    
  


Ben’s face fell, as he tried to cover up his chuckle.    
  


“You two are hopeless!” Luke groused, throwing his hands up in defeat. 

 

Rey was too busy laughing at Ben’s imitation of his surly uncle to catch her idol gathering up his papers. “I’m going to break into Leia’s liquor cabinet,” the author remarked under his breath. He stormed out of the hangar, slamming the door behind him. 

 

“Do you think we’re fired?” Rey asked Ben. 

 

He shrugged. “The pay was shit anyway.” She laughed. “But, the company was nice,” he continued, dragging a finger across her forehead to push her hair back. 

 

Encouraged by his gesture, Rey grabbed his hand. “Let’s get out of here. Come on.”    
  


She wasn’t sure where the adrenaline rush came from, but suddenly all she could feel was the beat of her heart and the need to go somewhere.  _ Anywhere. _ As long as it was with Ben. Alone.    
  


He allowed her to drag him away from the hangar, out across the field to the pond she’d discovered. Once they reached the shore, Rey kicked off her shoes and began to wade in the water.    
  


“What are you doing?” Ben asked, but there was no hint of anger or annoyance in his tone.    
  


“Whatever I want,” her resounding laugh came back.   
  


“You’re going to catch cold.”   
  


“Thanks, mom.” Rey rolled her eyes.   
  


She heard him shuffling around and then the sound of water being displaced.    
  


“Actually,” he breathed the word across her face, his chin resting on her shoulder blade, as his arms encircled her waist. “I think you’d call me Daddy.”    
  


Rey felt heat pool in her belly. She hadn’t pegged Ben to be the kind of man who enjoyed dirty talk.    
  


“I had fun today,” she told him, unsure what else to say.   
  


“I have fun with you every day.” He pressed a kiss to her temple, keeping his arms wrapped around her. 

 

She turned crimson, a fact he thankfully couldn’t see given the dark, but she didn’t ask him to stop. It felt like they were on the precipice of something, something they had been working towards this entire time and she wanted to fall over to the other side. 

 

“When I look at you, for the first time in my life, I feel certain of something.” Rey squeezed her arms around his, hugging him the best she could in their current position. “Rey, remember when we first met?”

 

“Something about how I am a charity case, comes to mind,” she mused. 

 

He kissed her again, this time brushing his full lips along her neck. “I was nervous and I didn’t want to be around my family and I was awful to you. You aren’t a charity case. You’re a survivor and I don’t want to leave here without you.”

 

“Ben, what are you saying?”

 

“Join me,” he begged. “ _ Please _ .”

 

Rey would have fallen over, if he hadn’t been holding her up. Those were the exact words Kylo had said in her fantasies, right down to the desperate tone of his voice.

 

She craned her neck to glance over her shoulder at him, only to find him staring intently at her. Rey shivered, but not from the cold. She couldn’t be cold when he was this close to her. 

 

“I’m serious, Rey,” he told her. “At the end of the summer, I want you to come back with me.” 

 

“I don’t have a job. What would I do?” 

 

“Whatever you want,” Ben offered, echoing her earlier statement. “I have connections all over the city. We can find you a new job, a better one.” 

 

It was perfect. No, it was too perfect because this wasn’t real life. This was her fantasy. It wasn’t normal. Normal people didn’t meet their idol. Normal people didn’t find love with a fictional character made real. Normal people didn’t move across country to be with that person. 

 

Did they? 

 

“You’ve made me happy, Rey,” Ben interrupted her thoughts. “I want to do the same for you. Will you let me try?” 

 

Slowly, she nodded. Being normal was overrated anyway. 

 

“What do you think Kylo would do now?” he asked in a whisper.

 

Rey turned around to face him. “I think he’d take Kira back to his chambers.”

 

Ben chuckled, dropping his eyes to the water. “Kylo doesn’t live with his mother.”

 

“Good point.”

 

“Maybe he could shack up with Kira?” he suggested. 

 

“Well, she does hate to be alone,” Rey agreed. 

 

“She’s not alone,” Ben raised his eyes to hers and it was clear he wasn’t talking in metaphors anymore. “Not anymore.”

 

Rey cupped his cheeks in her hands. “Neither are you.” 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Easter Eggs  
> -Rey's 'I become a Jedi' line was inspired by [this scene](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbSjS-ggkHY) from Austenland  
> -Ben's proposal for Rey to join him comes from Nobley's declaration of love in Austenland, [here (start at 2:17)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9O7XUykqFY).  
> Next up: We earn our 'E' rating and the conclusion of this fun little fic!


	6. The Belonging

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We come to the end of our tale...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to my beta, [LoveofEscapism](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LoveofEscapism/pseuds/LoveofEscapism/works)!
> 
> Special thank you to [@PandaCapuccino](http://pandacapuccino.tumblr.com/) for the gorgeous fanart at the end.

****

 

If Rey thought Ben had been in a rush the day he found her in the rain, it was nothing compared to the way he hustled them both back to the hangar. 

Luke was long gone, presumably off to the main house for dinner, a meal which neither Ben or Rey was particularly inclined to attend. 

Ben hadn’t been in her apartment since their first meeting. Having him inside the loft caused butterflies to erupt in her stomach. 

“Don’t overthink it, sweetheart,” he told her and took her hand. It was uncanny how he could read her thoughts just from her body language. They walked to her bed and he sat down, guiding her to stand between his legs. “It’s just us now,” Ben reminded Rey. 

She hadn’t done this before. There had been some awkward fumbling and kisses which lacked finesse in college, but Rey had never gone to bed with anyone. Her nerves were justified. 

“Let me take care of you,” Ben implored. 

His eyes were filled with desire, raw and unfathomable. It should have scared her. Her inexperience alone was enough for her to put  the brakes on this whole thing, but when he asked her in that voice, she was unable to refuse. He sounded desperately hopeful, as if this was all he wanted in life. 

How could she deny him?

“Alright,” Rey breathed out her answer. 

Ben picked up her hands, bringing them to his mouth to deposit a kiss on each. She watched him, captivated by the level of attention he lavished upon her. 

“Come here, Rey,” Ben commanded quietly. 

He tugged on her arms, still holding to her small hands. Carefully she climbed into his lap, straddling him. 

“Sweetheart, you’re shaking,” he said and kissed her neck. “We don’t have to do anything tonight, Rey. I can wait.” 

“I don’t want to wait,” she responded. 

Rey found her confidence and placed her hands on his shoulder blades. She stared directly into Ben’s dark orbs. “I want it to be you.”

She saw the second he registered what she meant. His pupils dilated and then he was picking her up and flipping them around. Her back hit the mattress while Ben crawled on top of her. 

His lips descended over her pulse point, trailing up her compliant body to her ear. “You’re mine, Rey,” he purred. “All mine.” 

Fire ignited inside her. His words doused her in accelerant, causing the flames to kick across her skin. If she didn’t know any better, Rey would have suspected she was feverish. As it was, she was conscious enough to recognize Ben’s affect. 

This man would be the death of her. 

His hands clamped down on her hips, keeping her pinned beneath him as he sucked bruising marks into her tanned skin. His possessive nature shouldn’t have turned her on the way it did, but Rey found her back arching off the bed, wanting more. 

Which was why when he pulled away, a whine escaped her throat. 

“I’m right here,” Ben promised, hastily removing his shoes. 

He tore his shirt off, before unbuckling his belt and removing his pants. Rey observed through her lust-filled daze. How did an Art History professor earn an eight-pack? Was Ben even real? Maybe she had progressed to full-on delusions of Kylo Ren and this was all a dream. 

“I’m very real,” he chuckled.

Rey slapped a hand over her mouth. She’d said that out loud. 

“And I’m very flattered.” Ben winked at her. He crawled back into the bed, hovering over her. 

“I’m embarrassed,” she groaned. 

“Would you still be embarrassed if I told you this wasn’t just your first time?” Ben asked, eyes carefully watching for her reaction. “It’s mine, too. Poe may be an ass, but he’s an ass who also happens to be correct.” 

Rey stared at him. “But you’re— you’re _perfect_ . You’re literally every girl’s fantasy! You’re _my_ fantasy.”

He smiled at her, cupping her face in his hand. “Did you ever consider that maybe you’re my fantasy too, Rey? You’re everything I ever wanted and everything I never knew I needed.”

All lingering concerns left her at his confession. Rey surged forward, hands grabbing onto his hair to hold him in place as she kissed him. 

It was ineloquent and too rushed, but Ben didn’t seem to mind. He held onto her, marching her fervor with his own unbridled passion. 

She broke first, moving to press her forehead to his. “I love you.”

Ben’s eyes latched onto her gaze. “I love you,” he echoed back. “I think I have since the moment you told me to get out.”

Rey giggled. “It was a meeting for the story books.”

“Probably why our relationship is being made into one.” Ben winked and Rey giggled again. 

“I think tonight is best left between us.”

“Agreed,” he replied, before claiming her lips once more. 

Rey gently pushed him back, working to peel off her own layers of clothing until she matched his state of undress, left in only her bra and panties. 

“Beautiful,” Ben whispered. 

He trailed his hand across her flat stomach, but he kept his eyes on her face, as if he was afraid at any moment she’d change her mind. 

“I don’t know what I’m doing,” Rey confessed. “I’ve never felt this way about anyone before.”

“Me either,” Ben admitted. “I have an idea. What if we are each other’s teachers? You can teach me what you like and I’ll teach you what I like.”

“Ever the academic.” She smiled before kissing the corner of his mouth. “I accept your proposal, Professor Solo.”

He turned red and rushed to cover his ears. “Don’t.” Rey stopped him, wrapping her fingers around his wrist. “You don’t have to hide from me.”

“The things you make me feel, Rey,” he started. “I never thought I’d find you, but it felt like you were always there, always there but just out of reach. Does that make sense?”

She kissed him again. “I don’t think love is supposed to make sense,” Rey told him. “It’s unpredictable and messy and turbulent, but it’s also beautiful. And this,” she gestured between them, “this is beautiful, Ben, so don’t be ashamed of it.”

“Oh sweetheart,” he breathed out the endearment, “I’m not ashamed of it.” He paused to chuckle. “I just wish I knew how to take care of you.”

“You will,” Rey promised. “We’re going to learn together, right?” 

“Right,” he agreed. “And I may be a novice, but I believe these,” he tugged at her bra strap and then the hem of her panties, “have to go.”

She hummed. “Yes, and so do those.” Rey inclined her head towards his boxers. 

Wordlessly, they stripped down. Rey viewed every motion as if it was life-changing, though in a way it was. Ben appeared to be functioning under the same belief, because the instant she was bare, he was enveloping her in his arms, caging her between his broad chest and the mattress. 

“Mine, mine, mine,” he chanted as he laid a series of kisses across her flesh. For someone who wasn’t sure what to do, he certainly knew exactly what he wanted.

Rey reached down between their bodies, finding him hard and ready for her. She could barely wrap her hand around his shaft. He groaned into her neck when she tentatively stroked him.

“Is that—.”

“Perfect,” Ben praised, kissing her jaw. “Just like that, sweetheart.”

She pumped him slowly, getting used to the feel of him, heavy and hot in her palm. Ben eased off of her, leaning back on his heels to watch her.

“Twist your wrist a little as you go,” he instructed, his massive hand covering hers to guide her motions.

Rey followed his lead, rotating her hand as she worked him. After a few passes, Ben’s hand fell away.

“Just like that,” he repeated.

She’d seen a naked man before, in films for health class and online, of course, but not a single one of them looked like Ben. He was proportional, which was not surprising, but it was intimidating. His hand could span her entire stomach.

How was he going to fit?

While her mind pondered this question, her pace increased. Ben’s breathing became labored. She could see him straining, his body taut, while his member jutted proudly against her hand. Rey misread his expression.

“Should I...” her question died as she gestured to her mouth.

Ben’s pupils were blown and he exhaled in a hiss. “Next time,” he managed to croak out. “I’m not going to last if you...if you do that.” He stilled her attentions.

“Should I stop?”

“It’s your turn,” Ben informed her. “Tell me where to touch you, Rey.”

She took his hand in hers, the same way he had done to her. Rey skimmed his hand down her torso to the apex of her thighs. She indicated where and how she liked to be touched, varying the pressure as she went.

Ben must have been a great professor, because he caught on quick. He paid attention to her clit, stealing the breath from her lungs when he inserted a single, broad finger into her while simultaneously stroking across the bundle of nerves with his thumb.

It didn’t take long for him to have her legs quaking. When he withdrew his hand, she saw the sheen of her arousal coating his fingers.

Ben pulled Rey into his lap, moaning when she began pumping him once more. He leaned into her chest, groping one breast while he sucked on the other.

Rey felt her nerves firing off in all directions. She didn’t know it could feel like this. Every inch of her was electrified, aching for more, needing Ben’s touch as if it was the only thing standing between her and salvation.

Maybe it was.

“You’re mine, Rey,” he reminded her, as if she had any doubt.

“Yours,” she replied.

The head of his cock nudged at her entrance and she gasped, unused to the sensation. It was too much and not enough. She tried to sink down on him, but Ben held onto her waist.

“Trust me, sweetheart,” he pleaded. “I want this to be good for both of us.”

Rey groaned, but nodded. She let him guide her down, slowly — far slower than she wanted. The stretch was delicious. There was some pressure, but no pain. She could feel him the entire time, inching his way in until he was buried completely.

“Ben.” She kissed him, carding her fingers through his hair.

“Hold on,” he directed.

And then he was thrusting up into her. It wasn’t slow and it wasn’t soft. Their bodies mashed together, hips meeting hips as he bucked wildly. Rey wrapped her arms around his shoulders, forcing her weight down.

He hit a particularly sensitive spot and they both cried out. Her nails dug into his back, but Ben didn’t stop. He rolled them over, driving into her frantically. She could hear his grunts of exertion over  the bed’s creaks of protest.

Instinct told her to hook her ankles together behind his back. The new position angled her just right, allowing him to hit that same sensitive spot over and over until he was tensing up.

“Rey, what do you need?” he asked breathlessly.

“Touch me, Ben, please.”

His fingers toyed with her clit and suddenly her vision whited out. The pressure which had been building since he entered her exploded. Rey came with his name on her lips.

Ben screamed his own release, spilling deep inside of her. He collapsed over the top of her, both of them babbling incoherently for several minutes as their breathing regulated and their pulse returned to a normal rhythm.

While she laid there, Rey basked in the heat of him surrounding her and the afterglow. It felt safe to be with Ben, despite his massive weight pressing her into her mattress.

It felt like home.

 

* * *

 

“You’re really doing this?” Rose asked Rey, as they boxed up her apartment.

“I am.” Rey smiled at her best friend.

Rose caught the light in her eyes. “You love him.”

“I do.” Rey’s smile grew with those two words.

Shaking her head, Rose laughed. “I can’t believe I made fun of you all these years about Kylo Ren and now you’re going to marry the guy.”

“Rose!” Rey yelled at her friend. “We just started living together. He hasn’t asked me to marry him.”

“Yet.” Rose winked.

Rey blushed furiously, trying to keep focused on packing up the remainder of her belongings for the move.

She and Ben had been living together in Chandrila since the end of August. Between his contacts and Leia’s network, finding a job had taken less than a month. Before Rey finished out the summer at Skywalker Ranch, Amilyn Holdo of Ninka Enterprises offered Rey a position. She’d accepted and went to work as a developer for the tech company.

While Finn had cautioned Rey about moving too fast, Rose seemed all too eager for her to settle down. It might have had something to do with Ben’s looks or how Rey couldn’t stop smiling. Either way, Finn eventually came around.

He and Ben had actually hit it off last month. The four had gone out to Mos Eisley Cantina for Taco Tuesday. Once Ben had mentioned his affinity for Fortnite, he and Finn spent the remainder of the evening discussing strategies, while Rose and Rey caught up.

Ever since that night, the guys had gotten along famously, giving Rose and Finn a reason to come out to Chandrila to see Ben and Rey’s place.

Now that Rey’s lease was up, it was time to make her move to the city official.

Finn and Ben had taken her boxes for donation to the Goodwill. As soon as she and Rose were done, the four of them were going to dinner. Then she and Ben would fly back to California, back to her new life, her new home.

It had been five months since Ben Solo had entered her life. He’d replaced her fantasy of Kylo Ren with something far more attractive: reality.

As Rey shut the door on her prior life, she opened herself up to endless possibilities — a home, a career and love.

There was no more waiting.

Rey had found the belonging she sought.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who has read, commented, left kudos and rec'ed this fic. I really appreciate all of the support. 
> 
> If you want more soft boi Ben and Rey having summer fun, check out [No Shirt, No Shoes...Big Problem](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17503037/chapters/41228597), my surfer AU!


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